JP2502941B2 - Automatic container cleaning method and device and cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically cleaning an empty container (container) after a molded article is stored and conveyed, and a cleaning apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A container for storing and transporting a synthetic resin molded product is once contaminated by oil adhered to the molded product or the like, or due to dust adherence or contamination due to static electricity generated by a polypropylene-based synthetic resin. If you use it, the inside and outside of the container will become dirty and you will not be able to use it again next time.

[0003]

Conventionally, in order to wipe off and remove the above-mentioned stains, a manual wiping operation has been conventionally performed, but fatigue and numbness of hands and shoulders occur, and empty containers can be removed in a short time. It is extremely difficult to clean the entire surface, and there is a risk of rash due to detergent and environmental pollution. An object of the present invention is to reliably clean and remove all stains on the entire surface of a container in a stockyard where used containers are stacked in a plurality of stages by using a space from an uncleaned product stockyard to a cleaned product stockyard. An object of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic cleaning method, an apparatus and a cleaning apparatus that can restore the original beautiful container in a time and do not cause a problem of environmental pollution due to detergents.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, as a method of the first invention, a container at the lowermost stage is staggered from an unwashed stock yard in which a plurality of containers are stacked and arranged in a row. A supply process in which the containers are separated and sequentially enclosed by glass, synthetic resin, or other transparent body and having an L-shaped guide path, and a plurality of containers are intermittently arranged along the L-shaped guide path in the cleaning section. Intermittent movement and fixing step of repeating the operation of simultaneously moving, stopping and holding and fixing at a predetermined position, and brushing the bottom surface when the container is sent to the cleaning unit, and the inner surface while being held and fixed by the intermittent movement. A cleaning process in which the outer surface of the four side walls is brushed with a high-speed rotating brush containing cleaning water, a finishing process in which the top and bottom of the container are inverted before the exit of the cleaning unit, and the entire surface is rinsed and drained, one by one from the cleaning unit. And was the washed article stockyard for stocking a plurality stages stacked, the automatic cleaning method of the container so as to fully automatic control made.

According to the second aspect of the invention, as an overall system for realizing the above method, an unwashed product stockyard having a transport section in which a plurality of containers are stacked in a row and arranged in a line, and in front of the entrance of the washing section from this stockyard, A stacking means for sandwiching and lifting the containers stacked in a plurality of stages and separating the bottommost container, a supply means for sequentially feeding the containers separated by the means to the cleaning unit, and a plurality of the supplied containers Simultaneously move intermittently along the L-shaped guideway and stop at a predetermined position,
Extruding claws to hold and fix, intermittent movement fixing means consisting of a drive source, glass surrounding the outer periphery of the cleaning unit, synthetic resin and other transparent bodies, and a high-speed rotating brush provided on the bottom of the cleaning unit inlet, A plurality of high-speed rotating brushes for side surface cleaning of each pair provided at a predetermined position of the L-shaped guide path so as to sandwich the L-shaped guide path, and a high-speed rotating brush for cleaning the inner surface provided at a corner of the L-shaped guide path. And a finishing means provided with a rotating arm for reversing the top and bottom of the container, a shower for washing the entire surface with water, and a blower for draining water before the exit of the washing section, and the delivery means from the washing section. Stacking means for sandwiching the preceding container and lifting it once, and sending in the container that has been sent out to the lowermost stage, a washing product stockyard having a conveying part arranged in a line by stacking a plurality of stages, and the above-mentioned means. Fully automatic control unit, And an automatic cleaning apparatus of the example was container.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the bottom surface cleaning means having a high-speed rotating brush for brushing the outside of the bottom surface of the container is provided below the inlet of the cleaning section, and the containers are intermittently moved simultaneously along the L-shaped guide path of the cleaning section. A first side surface provided with a plurality of fixed positions that are held and fixed at predetermined positions, and provided with a pair of high-speed rotating brushes that move vertically in the front-back direction to brush the outside of the opposite side walls of the container at the first fixed position. Cleaning means and second side surface cleaning means provided with a pair of high-speed rotating brushes that horizontally move in the vertical direction and brush the outside of opposite side walls of the same container as the first fixed position at the second fixed position; 3 Inside surface cleaning provided with a high-speed rotating brush equipped with a motor that moves vertically and zigzag to brush the bottom surface of the container and the inner surface of the four side walls at the corner of the L-shaped guideway at the fixed position Means and a third side surface cleaning means provided with a pair of horizontal and vertical moving high speed rotating brushes for brushing the outer side walls facing each other at a fourth fixed position after the direction of movement is changed by the L-shaped guide path. , At the fifth fixed position, on the opposite side walls of the same container as the fourth fixed position,
A cleaning device comprising a fourth side surface cleaning means provided with a pair of high-speed rotating brushes which are vertically brushed and movable in the front-rear direction.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in brushing with a high-speed rotating brush, when moving in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction, the cleaning device is capable of switching the rotation direction between the forward path and the return path in reverse. In the fifth aspect of the invention, a cleaning device is provided in which a nozzle portion for dropping or spraying cleaning water is provided near the high-speed rotating brush and a circulation path for the collected cleaning water is provided.

[0008]

In the first aspect of the invention, a cleaning section surrounded by a transparent body is provided between the unwashed product stock yard in which a plurality of containers are stacked and arranged in a row to the washed product stock yard after cleaning.
The entire surface is surely cleaned while the container moves along the L-shaped guide path in the cleaning section. Since the unwashed product stockyard, the washing section and the washed product stockyard are continuous in a substantially U-shape, the overall size is compact and there is no waste of space, and the transparent cover prevents the washing water from splashing around. The operating state of the cleaning operation can be visually observed through the transparent body, and the cleaning operation is carried in automatically and continuously without waste. As a supply step of sending containers one by one from the unwashed stock yard to the cleaning unit, the lowest container among the plurality of containers is separated by the step dispersion means, and each container is sequentially sent, so that the timing is good. The containers are loaded into the cleaning unit one by one.

In the cleaning unit, a plurality of containers that have been sequentially fed move intermittently simultaneously along the L-shaped guide path, and stop and hold at a predetermined position to be fixed. In the cleaning process, since the container is held and fixed at a predetermined position, stable cleaning operation can be performed even when the high speed rotating brush contacts the bottom surface and the inner and outer surfaces of the four side walls to clean the surface. In addition, since the containers that have sequentially moved along the L-shaped guide path change their moving directions at the corners, the outer surface of the side wall to be cleaned before and after the conversion is automatically changed so that the four side walls can be reliably cleaned. it can.

After washing, the container is turned upside down, the entire surface is washed with water and drained to carry out a finishing step. Since each of these steps is automatically controlled, it can be driven promptly according to the timing. In the second aspect of the present invention, since the containers are stacked in a row in the unwashed stock yard in a plurality of stages, the containers are sequentially sent to the front of the inlet of the cleaning unit by the conveyor or the conveyor. At this portion, the containers of a plurality of stages are temporarily lifted by the stage dispersion means, and only the lowest stage container is separated from the stage. The separated containers are sent to the cleaning unit one by one by the supply means.

In the cleaning section, a plurality of containers are simultaneously moved by an extrusion claw operated by a driving source such as a cylinder and sent to a predetermined position in the L-shaped guide path. A fixed plate operated by a driving source holds and holds the container at a predetermined position. As described above, the bottom of the container is cleaned by the high-speed rotating brush at the inlet of the cleaning section while the container is intermittently moved and held and fixed.
The side surface is cleaned by a pair of high-speed rotating brushes for cleaning the side surface, which are provided at a plurality of predetermined positions so as to face each other with the character-shaped guide path interposed therebetween. At the corner of the L-shaped guide passage, the bottom surface and four side walls of the container are cleaned by a high-speed rotating brush for cleaning the inner surface. At a position beyond the corner portion, the traveling direction of the container is changed, and the different side surfaces are cleaned by the high-speed rotary brushes for cleaning the side surfaces. As a result, the entire surface of the side surface and the inner and outer surfaces of the four side walls can be cleaned.

In front of the outlet of the cleaning unit, the container is held by the rotating arm so that the top and bottom are turned upside down, and the opening is directed downward to remove the cleaning water and wash it with a shower and drain it with a blower. And finish. The preceding container sent out from the cleaning section is once lifted by the stacking means and the container currently sent out is sent to the lowermost stage until a predetermined number of stages is reached. Containers that are stacked in multiple stages and arranged in a line are sequentially sent by the transport unit and stocked in the wash stock yard.

Each of the above means is controlled fully automatically,
As a part, there is no useless movement, and it is now possible to wash and stock in a minimum space in a short time. The third invention shows the operation of the high-speed rotating brush according to each fixed position in the cleaning device. A high-speed rotating brush for brushing the outside of the bottom surface of the container is provided below the inlet part where the container is fed to the cleaning part. The bottom surface cleaning means provided and the container are intermittently moved simultaneously along the L-shaped guide path of the cleaning part so that the container is held and fixed at a plurality of predetermined positions. A first side surface cleaning means provided with a pair of vertical and forward / backward moving high speed rotating brushes for brushing the outside is provided, and at the next predetermined position, a pair of high speed rotating brushes horizontally and vertically moving the same side wall. By 2
A second side surface cleaning means is provided for cleaning once.

At the corner of the L-shaped guide path at the third fixed position, a high-speed rotating brush provided with a motor capable of vertical and zigzag movement so as to brush the entire inner surface of the container was provided. At the fourth fixed position, the container whose traveling direction is changed from the corner portion of the L-shaped guide path is brushed with a pair of high-speed rotating brushes that move horizontally and vertically.
It was used as a side cleaning means.

At the fifth fixed position, the same side wall as described above is repeatedly washed by a pair of high speed rotating brushes which move vertically and in the front-back direction. In the fourth aspect of the invention, when the high-speed rotating brush moves in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction, the rotation direction is switched between the forward path and the return path so that the unwashed portion is not generated.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, the high-speed rotating brush is provided with the nozzle for containing the cleaning water, and the circulation path of the cleaning water accumulated below is provided so that the brush can be circulated and used.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings shown as embodiments. In FIG. 1, 1 is an uncleaned product stock yard, 2 is a cleaning unit, and 3 is a cleaned product stock yard. The washing section 2 is provided with an L-shaped guide path between the unwashed product stockyard 1 and the washed product stockyard 3 to connect them. A container 4 is stacked in a plurality of stages, arranged in a line on the unwashed product stockyard 1 and conveyed to the inlet of the washing unit 2. Reference numeral 5 denotes a separated container, which shows a state in which one of the lowermost ones of the stacked containers 4 is separated and sent to the cleaning unit 2 (supply process). At the entrance of the cleaning unit 2 into which the container 5 has been fed, high-speed rotating brushes 6 and 6a for brushing the bottom surface of the container are provided. The cleaning unit 2 has an outer periphery surrounded by glass, synthetic resin, or other transparent body to prevent the cleaning water from splashing to the outside.

Reference numeral 7 is an L-shaped guide path, in which the containers 5 sent to the cleaning section 2 are sequentially placed at predetermined positions a, bc, d, e, f, g.
While moving intermittently to the unwashed stock yard 1, the lowermost containers are sequentially fed one after another. Therefore, the plurality of fed containers move intermittently simultaneously along the L-shaped guide path 7, stop at a predetermined position, and are held and fixed. This operation is repeated (intermittent movement fixing step). ).

While the container 5 is held and fixed at predetermined positions b, c, d, e, and f, the inner and outer surfaces of the four side walls are brushed with a high-speed rotating brush containing cleaning water (cleaning step).
Reference numerals 8, 8a, 9, 9a, 11, 11a, 12, and 12a denote a pair of side surface cleaning high-speed rotating brushes, respectively. 10 is a high-speed rotating brush for cleaning the inner surface. Before the outlet of the cleaning unit 2, the container is turned upside down from a predetermined position g to h, and the entire surface is washed with water and drained (finishing step). Reference numeral 13 denotes a container delivered from the cleaning unit 2, which is stacked in a plurality of stages and conveyed to and stocked in the cleaning product stockyard 3.

2 to 5, reference numeral 5a indicates a container feeding claw. Reference numeral 14 denotes a stepping means, which comprises a holding arm, a claw 14a, and a cylinder as a drive source 14b. The upper container is temporarily lifted so as to separate the lowermost container 5 of the containers 4 stacked in multiple stages, and the lowermost container is lifted. I try to extrude one. At the outlet of the cleaning unit 2, stacking means 14c for stacking the delivered containers 13 is provided, and means similar to the above-mentioned stacking means 14,
The holding arm, the claw, and the drive source temporarily lift the preceding container, which is located above, and feed it downward one by one.

FIG. 6 shows the inlet section 15 and the outlet section 16 of the cleaning unit 2.
And has a transparent body 17 that can open and close the door and surrounds the entire outer periphery of the cleaning unit 2. FIG. 7 shows the high-speed rotating brushes 6 and 6a for cleaning the bottom surface, and the motors 18 and 19 respectively.
It is provided so that it can rotate in the opposite direction. 8 and 9 show
The left side view and the right side view of the predetermined positions a, b, c and d are shown, and the height of the rail 20 of the L-shaped guide path 7 can be adjusted by a bracket 21.

Reference numeral 22 is a claw for intermittent movement, and when moving a plurality of containers, each of them can be rotated to a position in which they come into contact with the container to push out the container. Reference numeral 22a is a drive source for rotating the claw 22, and 22b is a drive source for pushing out.
The claw 22 is adapted to be retracted so as not to contact the container when returning. Reference numeral 23 denotes a fixing plate that presses and fixes the container when it comes to a predetermined position, and holds and holds the container during cleaning with a high-speed rotating brush. Reference numeral 23a is a drive source. 24 is a cylinder that pushes up the bottom surface of the container at a corner portion at a predetermined position d, and 25 is a bracket on the upper portion, both of which hold and fix the container when cleaning the inner surface. Reference numeral 26 is a motor capable of moving the high-speed rotating brush 10 for cleaning the inner surface in zigzag. Reference numeral 27 is a cylinder for lowering the high-speed rotating brush 10 for cleaning the inner surface and positioning it inside the container only when cleaning the inner surface.

FIG. 10 shows a high speed rotating brush 8 for side washing,
8a, 9 and 9a, the brush is provided vertically and movable in the front-back direction at a predetermined position b, and further provided so as to rotate in the reverse direction on the forward and backward paths of the forward-backward movement. In the case of the predetermined position c, the brush is horizontal and movable in the vertical direction, and is provided so as to rotate in the reverse direction on the outward path and the return path.

Washing water is dripped or sprayed onto each of the rotating brushes. As cleaning water, household cleaners and other non-polluting detergents are used and collected at the bottom of the cleaning section and circulated. Reference numerals 28, 29, 30, and 31 denote motors for rotating brushes, which can be rotated in forward and reverse directions. FIG.
The structure of reversing the top and bottom of the container is shown, and the container is pinched and reversed by driving the rotating arm 32.

12 and 13 show a predetermined position d,
It is a left side view and a right side view in e, f, g, and h. The high-speed rotating brush 11 is horizontally and vertically moved at a predetermined position e, and is reversely rotatable on the return path. or,
At the predetermined position f, the structure is the same as in the case of b. Numeral 33 is a pressing claw for intermittent movement of the container, which is provided so as to rotate at the time of extrusion so as to come into contact with the container and push out to respective predetermined positions d, e, f, g. Reference numeral 33a represents a rotation drive source, and 33b represents an extrusion drive source. A fixing plate 34 is adapted to hold and fix it at a predetermined position from above the container.

As described above, in the cleaning unit 2, a plurality of containers are moved simultaneously, held and fixed at a predetermined position, and subjected to the cleaning action by the high speed rotating brush. It is separated from the unwashed stock yard 1 one by one, sent to the washing section 2, and all of them are continuously controlled by automatic control until they are stacked again after washing.

[0027]

According to the first aspect of the invention, by stacking in an uncleaned product stockyard, they are sequentially conveyed, separated one by one by staggering and sent to the cleaning unit, and then stacked again after cleaning. Since it is automatically controlled until it is stocked in the washed product stock yard, it suffices to load it into the unwashed product stock yard.

In the cleaning section, the cleaning state can be visually observed through the transparent body, and the plurality of containers are intermittently moved to predetermined positions in order, and cleaned while being held and fixed. It is possible to steadily clean the entire bottom surface, side surface, and inner surface by providing a plurality of positions as predetermined positions. In particular, since an L-shaped guide passage is provided and moved along the guide passage, the side surface to be cleaned by the high-speed rotating brush can change its direction naturally at the corner portion to clean the entire four circumferences. Since the unwashed product stockyard and the washed product stockyard are connected by the washing section having this L-shaped guide path, it is compact as a whole, does not take up a large space, is pollution-free in a short time, and is secure without waste. You can now wash.

In the second aspect of the invention, since there is a stepping means for separating a plurality of stacked containers one by one in front of the supply means from the unwashed product stockyard to the washing section, it is regularly and automatically operated. The containers are supplied sequentially. The bottom surface was cleaned at the same time as it was sent to the cleaning section, and the entire surface of the container could be cleaned by the high-speed rotating brush while the intermittent movement along the L-shaped guide path, the stop at a predetermined position, and the holding and fixing were repeated.

A plurality of containers can be simultaneously moved and fixed by an intermittent movement fixing means composed of an extrusion claw, a fixing plate and a driving source. Before the exit of the washing section, finishing means is performed by washing and draining, and when it leaves the washing section, it is stacked in a plurality of stages by the stacking means and conveyed to the washed product stockyard for stocking. Since each of the above means is automatically controlled, it is possible to perform cleaning without waste in a short time.

In the third aspect of the invention, as the high-speed rotating brush, a brush that moves vertically in the horizontal direction and a brush that moves vertically in the vertical direction are provided, and the same side surface is washed twice. Therefore, careful washing is performed and washing is performed. There is no remaining part. In addition, the cleaning effect could be improved by providing a motor that moves the brush in a zigzag manner when cleaning the inner surface.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the direction of rotation of the high-speed rotating brush is switched between the forward path and the return path so that there is no unwashed residue and the cleaning effect is further enhanced. In the fifth invention, the cleaning effect is further improved by dropping or spraying the cleaning water on the high-speed rotating brush. This wash water can be used without waste by circulating it through the circulation path.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory view showing a method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an essential part of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the step-diffusion means.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the step distribution means.

FIG. 5 is a front explanatory view of the same-stage dispersion means.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an inlet and an outlet of the cleaning unit.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a main part of bottom surface cleaning.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the intermittent movement fixing means at a predetermined position from the inlet of the cleaning unit to the corner.

FIG. 9 is another side view of the intermittent movement fixing means.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a main part of side surface cleaning.

FIG. 11 is a front view of an upside down portion of the container.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a high-speed rotating brush and a portion for reversing the top and bottom at a predetermined position from the corner portion to the cleaning portion outlet

FIG. 13 is a side view of the intermittent movement fixing means at the predetermined position.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Unwashed product stockyard 2 Washing part 3 Washed product stockyard 4, 5, 13 Container 6, 6a High speed rotating brush for bottom washing 7 L-shaped guideway 8, 8a, 9, 9a, 11, 11a, 12, 12a Side surface High-speed rotating brush for cleaning 10 High-speed rotating brush for cleaning the inner surface 14 Step-dispersing means 15 Cleaning part inlet 16 Cleaning part outlet 17 Transparent body 22, 33 Claw 23, 34 Fixing plate 22a, 22b, 23a, 33a, 33b, 34a Drive source

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. The unwashed stock yard in which a plurality of containers are stacked and arranged in a row, the lowermost containers are separated one by one by staggering and sequentially surrounded by glass, synthetic resin or other transparent body and An intermittent operation in which a feeding step of feeding to a cleaning section having an L-shaped guide path and a plurality of containers intermittently simultaneously move along the L-shaped guide path in the cleaning section and stopped at a predetermined position and held and fixed are repeated. A moving and fixing step, and a cleaning step of brushing the bottom surface when the container is sent to the cleaning section, and brushing the inner surface and the outer surfaces of the four side walls with a high-speed rotating brush containing cleaning water while being held and fixed by the intermittent movement. , A finishing process in which the top and bottom of the container are inverted before the outlet of the washing section, the entire surface is washed with water and drained, and a washing product stockyard that sends out one by one from the washing section and stacks and stacks multiple stocks An automatic container cleaning method characterized by automatic control. 2. An unwashed stock yard having a plurality of containers arranged in a line and arranged in a row and having a transport section, and a plurality of stacked vessels are sandwiched and lifted from this stock yard before the entrance of the washing section. Dispersing means for separating the lowermost container, supply means for sequentially feeding the containers separated by the means to the cleaning section, and a plurality of the supplied containers are sequentially moved simultaneously along the L-shaped guide path. Then, it is stopped at a predetermined position, and is intermittently moved and fixed by an extrusion claw, a fixing plate, and a drive source so as to hold and fix it, glass surrounding the outer periphery of the cleaning section, a synthetic resin or other transparent body, and the bottom of the cleaning section inlet At a predetermined position of the L-shaped guide path so as to face each other with the L-shaped guide path sandwiched therebetween, and a pair of high-speed rotating brushes for side surface cleaning for a pair, and at corners of the L-shaped guide path. High-speed rotation for internal cleaning provided A cleaning unit including a brush, and a rotating arm that reverses the top and bottom of the container before the exit of the cleaning unit,
Finishing means provided with a shower for washing the entire surface with water and a blower for draining water, and stacking means for sandwiching and temporarily lifting the preceding container sent from the cleaning section, and sending the container currently sent to the bottom stage. An automatic container cleaning device, comprising: a cleaning article stock yard having a plurality of stacked stages and arranged in a line and having a transfer section; and a fully automatic control section for each of the means. 3. A bottom surface cleaning means provided with a high-speed rotating brush for brushing the outside of the bottom surface of the container below the inlet of the cleaning section, and the container moves intermittently simultaneously along an L-shaped guide path of the cleaning section, and a predetermined interval is obtained. A first side surface cleaning means provided with a plurality of fixing positions that are held and fixed at positions, and provided with a pair of high-speed rotating brushes that move vertically in the front-rear direction to brush the outer side walls of the container facing each other at the first fixing position; A second side surface cleaning means provided with a pair of horizontally and vertically moving high-speed rotating brushes for brushing the opposite side wall sides of the same container as the first fixed position at the second fixed position;
At the corner of the L-shaped guideway at a fixed position, the inner surface cleaning means provided with a high-speed rotating brush equipped with a motor that moves vertically and zigzag to brush the bottom surface of the container and the inner surface of the four side walls, and the L-shaped guideway At the fourth fixed position after changing the moving direction, a third side surface cleaning means provided with a pair of horizontally and vertically moving high-speed rotating brushes for brushing the outer side walls facing each other, and at the fifth fixed position, 4. A cleaning device comprising: a fourth side surface cleaning means provided with a pair of high-speed rotating brushes that brush vertically on the outer side walls of the same container as the fixed position and move in the front-back direction. 4. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when brushing with a high-speed rotating brush, the direction of rotation can be switched between the forward and backward directions when moving in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction. 5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a nozzle portion for dropping or spraying cleaning water is provided near the high-speed rotating brush, and a circulation path for the collected cleaning water is provided.